observation of him did you refer?"

It was a dreadfully austere inquiry, but levity was not our note, and, at any
rate, before the gray dawn admonished us to separate I had got my answer.
What my friend had had in mind proved to be immensely to the purpose.
It was neither more nor less than the circumstance that for a period
of several months Quint and the boy had been perpetually together.
It was in fact the very appropriate truth that she had ventured to criticize
the propriety, to hint at the incongruity, of so close an alliance,
and even to go so far on the subject as a frank overture to Miss Jessel.
Miss Jessel had, with a most strange manner, requested her to mind her
business, and the good woman had, on this, directly approached little Miles.
What she had said to him, since I pressed, was that SHE liked to see
young gentlemen not forget their station.

I pressed again, of course, at this. "You reminded him that Quint
was only a base menial?"

"As you might say! And it was his answer, for one thing,
that was bad."

"And for another thing?" I waited. "He repeated your words to Quint?"

"No, not that. It's just what he WOULDN'T!" she could
still impress upon me. "I was sure, at any rate," she added,
"that he didn't. But he denied certain occasions."

"What occasions?"

"When they had been about together quite as if Quint were his tutor--